Who’s Who Profile: Idiom Technologies, Inc.

Peter Prestipino

Posted on 2.11.2007

Idiom Technologies, Inc. (www.idiominc.com)
was founded in 1998 as a software solution for companies that wish to
extend their brand to a global audience. The Web is truly a global
community, however many companies struggle with extending their brand to
other countries. One of the biggest hurdles is getting the translation
right — not just the words themselves but the context as well.

Website
Magazine spoke with Dave Rosenlund, VP of Marketing and New Business
Development for Idiom about their services. “If you’re not addressing
your international buyers in their native tongue, you’ll lose to your
competitor,” says Rosenlund.

A 2006 study by Common Sense Advisory (www.commonsenseadvisory.
com) supports Rosenlund’s assessment. In the report, titled “Can’t Read,
Won’t Buy — Why Language Matters on Global Websites,” it was stated that more
than half (52.4%) of consumers outside of the U.S. buy only from websites where
information is presented in their native language.

The challenge for many businesses in the global market can be traced to a system
of language service providers (LSPs). Traditionally, a business would submit
content to a LSP which would then translate the content for publication. But
there is a disconnect that takes place. Eventually, the content is spread across
many LSPs with many different translations and can become disorganized or even
lost.

One of the main goals of Idiom and a crux of their services is to save the
business owners from the high cost of translation, supplanting the need for
hours of human labor. Their trademark WorldServer technology aims to save time,
increase speed of content development and delivery, lower costs and, ultimately,
automate globalization efforts.

WorldServer provides a level of integration and centralization. LSPs are used
along with translators and tech suppliers for a fully functional global
management system (GMS). In short, a business is able to take their content and
submit it through WorldServer which then works with your content management
system (CMS) for fast translation which is then stored and available for
publication. When it comes time for another translation, WorldServer searches
for previous translations,
which have already been purchased, and use them to fill the current need. If a
translation is not available, WorldServer posts the project to your selected
LSPs. When the project is complete, the translation is sent back to WorldServer,
recorded, the content is combined with existing translations then sent back to
your CMS. It’s all a very efficient and organized way to take a large part of
the headache away from globalization.

Idiom’s solutions, while impressive, are not for everyone. Rosenlund concedes
that their services are not entirely designed for dynamic sites. Sites that are
constantly updating and adding new content or pages could incur some cost
issues. That would include PR sites and heavy blogging sites, for example. Large
businesses would seem to benefit tremendously from Idiom and WorldServer. Some
of their current clients include Adobe, Motorola, eBay and Travelocity. However,
if you’re planning on globalizing your business, it’s well worth checking into
Idiom. Their site is a good place to educate yourself and start thinking about
your needs as a global enterprise.

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